


Reflections

by Apparentlynotreallyfinnish



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, Feelings Realization, Hand Jobs, M/M, Masturbation, Mirrors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-22 04:56:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21295658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apparentlynotreallyfinnish/pseuds/Apparentlynotreallyfinnish
Summary: Link discovers that Rhett has a mirror above his bed and gets somewhat obsessed with the idea.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 15
Kudos: 132





	Reflections

Link stood in Rhett’s bedroom, face tilted towards the ceiling. His reflection stared back at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open.

Rhett’s beloved California king bed had a California king-sized mirror attached to the ceiling above it.

Link stepped closer, enchanted by it.

“Did you find it?” Rhett’s voice drifted from downstairs and snapped Link out of his reverie. His gaze dropped from the mirror to Rhett’s bedside table and the phone on it.

“Yeah, got it!” Link yelled back and grabbed the phone that had sent him on his quest upstairs.

Link didn’t usually have any reasons to visit Rhett’s bedroom. He was at his house often enough, but only downstairs; hanging out in the living room watching a movie or working on a song, eating dinner in the kitchen, or sleeping in the spare bedroom when one beer turned to several and he wasn’t in the mood to Uber back and forth. Now that he thought about it, the last time he’d been in Rhett’s bedroom was two years ago, when he’d just moved here. There were definitely no mirrors in the ceiling back then.

Link turned to go with one last lingering look at the ceiling. He descended the stairs and caught up to Rhett, who was already stepping out of the house. He was holding the door open for Link and reached for his phone. Link gave it to him while trying to set his face neutral.

“What took you so long?” Rhett asked absentmindedly while checking his phone.

“Just... admiring your décor,” Link said, hoping that a joke would mask how rattled he was. Rhett’s face rose from the screen and he frowned. Then his eyebrows shot up in realization.

“Ah! I _see_,” he said with a chuckle, looking Link right in the eyes and winking. Link was glad Rhett turned to walk to the car and missed the crimson that crept on his cheeks.

\---

_Rhett has a mirror above his bed._

Link couldn’t get the thought out of his head. It plagued him. Every time he looked at Rhett, every time Rhett spoke, every time Link’s mind wandered during the work day, it was all he could think about.

They didn’t talk about their sex lives with one another – not really. They liked innuendos; the jokes told more or less to intentionally titillate and amuse. But that’s all they were – jokes. Rhett and Link had never been the type of people to share sexual stories or compare lists of conquests or what have you. 

Link was quite certain that Rhett was getting it pretty regularly. When he’d mention going on a date, he would always be especially cheery the next day… which, in Link’s mind, either meant he’d gotten lucky, or he’d eaten a particularly good meal. But for whatever reason, Link had always assumed that Rhett was very much – for lack of a better word – _vanilla_ in his preferences.

The mirror challenged that notion.

It wasn’t the kinkiest thing Link could have found in his bedroom, but it hinted that if he went looking, there would be more. You didn’t just go straight to ‘sex mirror’ – you built up to that. So, what else was Rhett into?

Link could just ask. He was almost certain that Rhett would tell him if he asked. But it felt like stepping over an invisible line. They’d never explicitly agreed not to talk about their preferences in the bedroom, but it did feel like it was kind of an unspoken rule. Honestly, Link had always assumed Rhett didn’t really have anything to talk about, and it had felt a bit weird to share that he liked to get pegged on the regular if all Rhett could offer in return was that his favourite position was something other than Missionary.

Link almost asked while they were having lunch that day. His mouth was already open – words nearly spilling over until he chickened out and swallowed his curiosity with a big fork-full of Caesar salad.

_It’s not my business. If Rhett wanted to share, he would’ve._

Link decided that he was just going to file the whole mirror thing into the random-things-I-know-about-my-best-friend folder in his mind, and go on with his life like nothing had happened.

But that was easier said than done.

\---

The next weekend they were at Rhett’s place for some barbecue and beers. The evening promised good times; there was a good group of friends and more alcohol on hand than a crowd double their size could consume. Rhett was in a particularly good mood; his rambunctious laughter floated inside from the open patio doors. Link kept getting distracted by it. Every time the familiar boom of it reached his ears, his mind instantly jumped to the mirror.

Link was leaning against the kitchen counter, talking with a woman John had brought. _Not as a date_, he had loudly announced when they’d stepped in, and the blond had blushed and dug her elbow between John’s ribs before he could continue. She hadn’t left Link’s side all night, and while usually Link would have lavished the attention from such a gorgeous woman, now he was unable to concentrate on anything she was saying.

Being in the house now, when he knew about the mirror, was strange. He felt like a kid that had found a pile of Christmas presents in his parents’ closet, but hadn’t had time to check if they were for him. 

Link’s gaze kept wandering towards the stairs. He wanted to go up there and lay on Rhett’s bed and see what it looked like when he...

_No! That’s not what I want. Nothing to do with Rhett._

He told himself that he was just intrigued by the idea; the voyeuristic thrill of seeing himself from an unfamiliar angle. He’d been dreaming about it all week. Night after night, he’d climbed up to Rhett’s bedroom and laid on his bed and watched hands on his body bring him pleasure. The fact that Rhett had been there too, egging Link on, was just a weird dream thing; his wires getting crossed because it was _Rhett’s_ room and _Rhett’s_ mirror. It wasn’t like he was dreaming of Rhett _touching_ him. 

“...and then John said he knew you and I was like, ‘I have to meet them’, and... I mean, I’m not a stalker or anything, but...” she was babbling – had been babbling for some time.

“That’s nice,” Link interrupted without knowing what she’d been saying. “You wanna see something cool?”

Her eyes widened and she nodded enthusiastically. Link glanced towards the patio where Rhett was holding court, and by the looks of it, giving some kind of presentation on how to properly grill steaks. He’d be at it for a while. They could nip in and out quickly; just some heavy petting, maybe a quick blow job. Rhett wouldn’t mind, right? Link just needed to get this whole “mirror” thing out of his system. 

Link took the woman’s – Rachel’s? – hand and sneaked out of the kitchen and onto the stairs. She was giggling.

“Where are we going?” she whispered as they came to the upper landing.

“Rhett has something insane in his bedroom. Wanna see?” Link coaxed her with a smile and some of his patented smouldering eye contact. It seemed to work; she swallowed audibly and nodded, looking a bit dazed. Link opened Rhett’s bedroom, pulled her in, and quickly closed the door behind them.

The room was dark and Link could barely see her even though she was right next to him. He led them to the bed and sat down. He knew Rhett had a reading light on his bedside table.

“Sit down here,” he murmured, pulling her closer. She obeyed with another giggle.

“Is there actually something cool here, or are you just trying to get me into bed with you?” she asked with a purr. “Not that I mind, either way.”

_I really should remember her name_, Link thought before turning on the light, blinding them both for a moment.

“Lean back,” Link instructed.

They fell onto the bed and were immediately greeted by their own smiling faces. Her eyes popped wide open and she gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth while Link smirked down at them from the ceiling.

“Holy shit,” she whispered, moved her hand from her face and – somewhat ridiculously – waved. A small smile was tugging at her lips. Link bit his bottom lip and wiggled his eyebrows at her through the mirror. “This is insane. Your friend is pretty kinky.”

“I know, right?”

He saw her lick her lips before she rolled over and pressed against him. Her tongue slipped into Link’s mouth and her hand brushed along his upper thigh just as the door opened with a creak. They jumped at the sound. Link’s stomach dropped.

“Hey, there,” a low voice said. Rhett was leaning against the doorframe looking slightly amused. Link scrambled up from the bed, feeling equal amounts shame and annoyance.

“Hey, Rhett,” the woman piped up happily. She didn’t seem bothered by the interruption.

“Hey, Reese. John was looking for you,” Rhett said, nodding downstairs. Reese jumped up from the bed and left the room. She turned behind Rhett and winked at Link before disappearing from view. Rhett tilted his head and smirked at him.

“Enjoying the amenities?”

“Did you really have to do that?” Link snapped, crossing his arms across his chest and scowling at Rhett.

Rhett moved quickly for a man his size. All of a sudden, he was right there, body pressed against Link’s. A breath escaped Link’s lungs and he tilted his head up to look at him. Rhett’s gaze was dark and foreign, and Link’s stomach filled with a buzz he’d never felt before. Rhett leaned down, and for a second, Link was sure they were going to kiss. Only later, when he was in his own bed – alone – did he remember to wonder why he hadn’t tried to stop the imagined attempt.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit rude to fool around in someone else’s bed?” Rhett asked, his lips dangerously near Link’s ear. The closeness made Link shiver and his stomach somersaulted.

“I – I didn’t… I didn’t think you’d mind,” Link stammered, swallowing with an audible gulp that made his cheeks flush red.

“Oh, I don’t mind. You’re welcome to _come_ here anytime you want. But if you want to get off in this bed, it will only happen by my hand and my hand alone,” Rhett murmured, his warm breath caressing the shell of Link’s ear. 

Link couldn’t help but wonder if his words were meant as a threat or a promise. 

He felt like all the air had been sucked from the room. His head was swimming from alcohol and something new – a treacherous need. He was achingly hard, and a small, pathetic whimper rose from his throat.

As quickly as it had happened, it was over. Rhett stepped back, and breath rushed into Link’s lungs. Rhett slapped Link’s shoulder amicably.

“Look at your face! God, you look like she really left you hanging. Sorry, man. Let’s go back to the party and get another beer in you. That’ll make you feel better, yeah?”

And with that, Rhett turned and left Link teetering on the edge of hysteria.

\---

Days went by, soon turning into weeks, and eventually Link started to believe that he’d imagined the whole exchange. He’d been drunk and horny; his mind was surely just playing tricks on him. That or Rhett had only been joking. Playing a weird drunken prank on him that had gone a bit over their usual limits.

Link still felt the need to avoid Rhett’s place. Every time Rhett asked him to come over, Link thought up an excuse or convinced Rhett to come to _his_ place instead. It worked for almost three weeks. Rhett would always frown and look at Link with questioning eyes, but he’d never say anything or ask for an explanation.

It was a Saturday morning. They had planned to go hiking and Link had agreed to pick Rhett up. He parked his car in Rhett’s driveway and sent him a text saying he was there.

_I’m sorry. Runnin a bit late._  
_Come wait inside._

Link cursed. He couldn’t say no to that. Insisting to wait in the car would be weird.

“Hey, sorry! I just gotta shower before we go,” Rhett hollered from the living room when Link stepped in.

“We’re going hiking,” Link said with a confused laugh. “You’re gonna get sweaty anyway. Why bother?”

Rhett’s laugh sounded from the stairs. Link walked to the bottom of them to find Rhett leaning over the railing and smiling apologetically.

“Yeah. I just feel too gross to go anywhere like this. It’ll only take like, five minutes. There’s coffee in the kitchen. Help yourself.”

“Fine,” Link said, rolling his eyes at Rhett’s sheepish smile.

He poured himself a mug and wandered into the living room, sipping on the beverage. His eyes kept flitting to the staircase. 

The mirror pulled at him, called for him, made everything around him turn into a fuzzy haze. And suddenly, Link was angry. His stomach tightened.

_That goddamn mirror. It’s been fucking with my head for too long._

With his eyes trained towards his target, Link set his mug on the table with a clatter, spilling coffee everywhere, and rushed up the stairs three steps at a time. He stopped behind the bedroom door and listened. The shower was on - the coast was clear.

Link peeked in. The door to the en-suite bathroom was slightly ajar and he could hear Rhett singing. He knew he had more than five minutes; Rhett tended to linger in the shower.

Link stared at the bed for a moment. It was unmade, sheets still jumbled where Rhett had left them when he’d gotten up. For some reason it felt more of a violation of intimacy to climb into his unmade bed than it had at the party. Nevertheless, Link was determined. He crawled onto it and looked up.

There he was, looking back down with a furrowed brow and tight jaw. His hand slipped down his body, determined and bold. He didn’t have time to hesitate. 

He wasn’t exactly hard, but he still palmed himself and a shiver ran through his body as the mirror image did the same.

_This is what Rhett sees, every time he gets himself off... Fuck._

He wasn’t supposed to be thinking about Rhett. He wasn’t supposed to imagine Rhett opening his eyes earlier that morning, tangled in the sheets, maybe waking up from a heated dream. He wasn’t supposed to imagine Rhett pushing away the covers and palming himself like Link was now. He wasn’t supposed to imagine Rhett releasing his throbbing erection from the confines of his boxer briefs and giving it a few deliciously slow strokes before reaching for lube. Link wasn’t supposed to imagine any of this – but he was, and his cock swelled in his hand at the thought of Rhett doing all those things and more.

The shower was still running. Rhett was still singing. It was still safe. _If I’m quick..._ Link tried to keep his breathing steady through his nose and bit his lip to stay quiet as he dug out his cock and flicked his wrist a few times experimentally. The tip moistened immediately, and with a ragged breath, Link spread it all over the head of his cock, tightening his grip.

_Okay. Quickly now. Think of a fantasy. That woman... what was her name? Rebecca?_

Link tried to imagine her lips trailing down his bare chest, wrapping around his cock; tried to imagine her moans as she bobbed her head. But the image in his mind kept shifting. The blond hair shortened and morphed into a messy nest of curls. The moans grew deeper and more masculine. Imaginary Rhett growled between his legs, and Link’s back arched into his fist. 

He tried so hard to steer back to the woman, but his mind wouldn’t budge. It didn’t help at all that he was smelling Rhett, his unmistakable scent surrounding Link. It clung to the sheet he was laying in and cocooned him inside of it. 

_This is all Rhett’s fault. That weird joke about me coming by his hand. My mind is all messed up because of it._

Link cursed and turned his head to the side, eyeing the bathroom door. He was in a hurry. The shower was still going, but surely he was almost done. If just this once he came thinking about Rhett... What would it matter in the great scheme of things? Nothing. It meant nothing. One time was laughable. An experimentation. He probably couldn’t even get an orgasm thinking about him.

Before Link could even make the decision, his hand was moving again – faster now. It was almost unnerving to do this without closing his eyes. He stared at the mirror, at his own image looking back down at him. Soon, his cheeks were flushed and a sheen of sweat had started gathering on his forehead. He threw his free arm over his head and fucked into his fist with reckless abandon.

And he was thinking about Rhett. Thought of his hands on his body, thought of his lips on his skin, thought of how Rhett would yank off Link’s pants and push up his legs and how his lubed-up fingers would dive between Link’s ass cheeks. He imagined Rhett’s eyes like they’d been that night; black and menacing. The memory made his stomach burn and his hips jerk into his hand with desperation. 

He imagined Rhett taking out his cock and pressing it against his needy hole. Link imagined begging him to do it, to push in, to take him, to show him what it felt like to be taken by someone who knew what they were doing.

Link imagined Rhett fucking into him.

“Oh, _fuck_,” he groaned as his thighs trembled and his pleasure swelled. He pushed his knuckles into his mouth, bit on them to stop himself from moaning louder. He couldn’t stop panting around his hand, though; it filled the bedroom and he saw his reflection disintegrating fast as his chest swelled and swooped. His hips swivelled and pushed, and he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore; it was too much.

Link hadn’t heard the shower turn off. He was too far gone. A droplet of water fell on his hip and – annoyed by the distraction – he drew his hand out of his mouth to brush it away. Another droplet was brushed off with more vigor, and only the third one brought him back to reality. 

Link’s eyes flew open. Rhett stood above him, dripping wet, towel wrapped around his waist. He wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t yelling for Link to stop, either. Link should’ve been scared. Should’ve been ashamed. But all he felt was all-consuming need to be touched by the giant of a man leaning over him.

“_Rhett_,” Link pleaded. His voice came out as a throaty whisper – strained and breathless. His hand hadn’t stopped moving. He couldn’t. He was too close.

“What did I tell you?” Rhett asked, voice a low growl.

“I – I’m sorry, I – fuck! Rhett, I can’t st– I’m almost...” Link muttered, his eyes closing again. He felt light-headed, like he was floating a few inches above the bed. 

His hand was slapped away and then two large palms took its place.

“I told you...“ Rhett growled and moved his hands in a tight, fluid motion. “...that in this bed, you could only come by my hand. Was I not clear? You need a chart? Would a _picture_ have made you understand?”

“I’m sorry,” Link groaned and his back arched into Rhett’s hands. He was moaning unabashedly now, lost in his pleasure.

“Open your eyes!” Rhett ordered with a harsh snarl. Link’s lids fluttered open and he stared at their reflection. It was like a scene from a dream. Rhett’s bare back straining as his hands pumped Link’s swollen dick. Link’s mouth hanging open as he chased his release with desperate thrusts.

“So pretty. Aren’t you a pretty boy, getting wrecked by my hands? Look how good I can make you feel. Tell me. Tell me what you _really_ want.”

Link swallowed with difficulty and whined as Rhett’s hands slowed down to a torturously slow pump.

“Tell me or I’ll stop,” Rhett coaxed, his voice suddenly sickly-sweet and wicked.

“I want you!” Link cried, thrusting into Rhett’s stilled hands. “Want you _in_ me. Fuck, Rhett. I need you.”

_I do._ Link realized with a jolt. _That’s exactly what I want and what I’ve wanted long before I saw the mirror._

“That’s my boy. I knew you could say it. Come on then. Wanna see what you look like when you come.”

Link whimpered as Rhett’s hands quickened again, speeding up to an unyielding motion of push and pull.

“Oh, yeah, just like that, baby. Uh-huh. So fucking gorgeous, Link. Come for me.”

Link’s body tensed, his hips rising up, straining towards the ceiling and then – finally – a release so violent he painted his shirt and jaw with long strands of come.

“There you are. There’s my boy. So good for me,” Rhett murmured as Link slowly came down from his high.

Link stared at his reflection. It wasn’t him. He was staring at a stranger; at someone who wanted things he’d never known he could want. Someone whose heart ached as he imagined the possibility of getting them from his best friend.

Rhett settled on his back next to him and met Link’s gaze through the mirror. Link opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. But Rhett didn’t seem to be in need of words, instead he took Link’s hand and guided it between the folds of his towel. Link’s fingers wrapped around Rhett’s cock like it was the most natural thing in the world, and Rhett let out a relieved drawn-out sigh.

“Don’t think we’re going hiking today,” he said matter-of-factly before pulling Link into a deep kiss.


End file.
